The present invention relates to a light table apparatus to provide inspection capabilities for ceramic laser tubes, more particularly for small bore ceramic laser tubes.
The operation of small bore ceramic laser tubes is well known in the art. One aspect of the proper operation of such laser tubes is the uniformity and thickness of the interior of the laser tube itself. Such aspects are very critical in connection with proper operation of the laser. Information regarding the straightness and/or wall thickness of the laser tube can have dramatic influence on the frequency of operation, the amount of power delivered from the laser, and the like. Such information can be extremely critical in many applications.
In a laboratory environment such as at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif., the development of small bore lasers has been ongoing for experimental purposes. The operation of such lasers are used, for example, in an atomic vapor laser isotope separation (AVLIS) process. The operation of lasers in such an AVLIS process requires that the frequency and output power be maintained with extremely high accuracy. If the ceramic laser tubes for the lasers are not operating properly, this can have a dramatic and undesirable negative effect on the overall AVLIS process.
One approach for inspection of such ceramic laser tubes utilizes conventional light bulb suspended on a pole. One person pushes the light bulb down the ceramic tube to illuminate the inside. This would provide a basis of visually inspecting the laser tube itself for any contamination.
One significant problem with such an approach is the inability to uniformly provide visual inspection of the laser tube, because there is a large change in the lighting area surrounding the conventional light bulb, and shadows move along with the light.
It would be desirable, therefore, to provide an improved inspection apparatus for providing information about the interior of a small bore ceramic laser tube.